There are many questions facing the university in the next several months: a permanent replacement for President Joel Seligman; the outcome of a federal lawsuit naming him and the university as defendants; whether Jaeger is allowed to return to work; and whether the White report will help UR restore its national reputation, which has taken a bruising in the last five months.

At the same time, White left the school with a list of recommendations for policy and structural changes. Following them, she said in an interview Friday, could position UR as the "thought leader and moral leader for the academic community."

Here are some of the recommendations to which she referred. The university has said it intends to create a working group of administrators, faculty and other campus constituencies to implement them.

Ban on intimate relationships between students and faculty within a department

The university's current policy prohibits faculty from having relationships with students over whom they exercise power, and advises them to err on the side of caution in interpreting that.

The more expansive policy would have covered some of the relationships Jaeger had with students that made other women in the department uncomfortable.

"The university’s policies did not prohibit these relationships at the relevant times, but did prohibit sexual harassment," the report states. "Jaeger’s conduct ... (highlighted) the acute challenges that can arise when intimate relationships between faculty and students are permitted," the report stated.

Office to investigate sexual misconduct by faculty members

One major complaint regarding the Jaeger investigation was the UR Office of Counsel (OOC)'s dual role in investigating claims of sexual harassment and defending the university against them.

According to the original Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) complaint, Richard Aslin, one of the plaintiffs, "expressed concern than (UR employment and labor relations lawyer Catherine Nearpass)'s role meant she had to protect the institutional interests of the university, her employer and client, while also having to elicit difficult testimony from women who felt the University had let them down, and at the same time protect the rights of Jaeger, a University employee — a tangle of conflicting interests."

The White report "credit(ed) that she acted neutrally in that role in this case," but recommended the university address the issue by creating a dedicated office to investigating claims of misconduct by faculty members.

NEWSLETTERS

Get the ROC60 newsletter delivered to your inbox

We're sorry, but something went wrong

Rochester in 60 seconds: Get all the news you need to know in less than a minute.

The Report of the Independent Investigation of the University of Rochester sexual harassment case recommended the university adopt a number of policy changes.(Photo11: CARLOS ORTIZ, CARLOS ORTIZ/@CFORTIZ_DANDC/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)

Trained advisers available for claimants and accused; clarity on rights

Not just at UR but on college campuses across the country, those involved in cases of sexual harassment or assault have reported confusion as to their rights and obligations. The complainants against Jaeger, for instance, said they were not allowed copies of official documents, while Jaeger himself touted having been "cleared" of all charges at one point when the complainants thought they were prohibited from discussing the case.

White recommended that UR immediately recruit several such advisers from people already on campus, including faculty or academic deans. Within three months, she said, the university should hire two additional lawyers, one to advise claimants and one to advise defendants.

"This change ... will provide parties with additional guidance throughout the
investigative process — guidance that to some extent was lacking in connection with the
investigations that took place in this matter," White wrote.

In the same spirit, White said the university should develop a "plain English 'Advice of Rights and Procedures' brochure." Other universities, including Case Western and Johns Hopkins, already do so. She also recommended adding examples of inappropriate actions to the existing policy on sexual harassment.

New policies on confidentiality, email searches

There was significant confusion in the Jaeger case as to what the parties — including the university itself — were expected to keep confidential.

White wrote: "Witnesses were not notified when the investigation had concluded unless
they followed up actively. One student expressed the sentiment that in an investigation, 'One side has to be confidential about it, and the other side does not.'"

A new policy, White wrote, should "more carefully and flexibly balance the requirements and needs of confidentiality and the benefits of transparency."

The complainants also accused UR of searching their university email accounts in an attempt to discredit them. As at most universities, UR has the right to search university email accounts for legitimate purposes.

White did not criticize UR but said its actions — including sharing some of the emails it obtained with Greg DeAngelis, chair of the Brain and Cognitive Sciences department — "upset and concerned many members of the university community."

The report recommends "new, more specific criteria governing any such review."

Publish annual data on sexual harassment

Many of UR's peer institutions already publish annual data on the number of sexual harassment complaints filed and how they were resolved, as well as some summary information. The report suggests that UR do the same.